Karen's Trail

Help Finish the B2B Trail

Honoring Karen McKeachie's Legacy

The Triathlon and Ann Arbor community recently lost a trail blazer and role model, Karen McKeachie. Please check out the following article about Karen and her aspirations as an avid cyclist and triathlete. A wonderful video narrated by Karen's husband Lew Kidder can be found here. Read more about Karen's trail here.

In her memory, the Ann Arbor Triathlon Club is rallying club members along with Tri Club family and friends to raise money to complete a portion of the Border to Border trail in honor of Karen. The largest and most important section of the B2B trail that remains unfinished is the 8 mile stretch lying between Dexter-Huron Metropark and Bandemer Park on the north side of the City of Ann Arbor. This is called the “spine”. This stretch of the B2B trail will be completed in the name of Karen. Below you will find additional details on Karen's Legacy Project.

The AA Tri Club has set a fundraising goal of $8,000 to help make her dream a reality. AA Tri Club members, family, and friends are encouraged to donate to help achieve this goal. A CrowdRise group has been formed for easy donations.

Please visit the Club CrowdRise page, and search for our team, Ann Arbor Triathlon Club. Any and all donations are welcome, and know that your contribution will help the trail live on in Karen's memory! Please reach out to Erin Pons (erin.e.pons@gmail.com) with any questions.

Our vision is to extend the B2B an additional 21 miles by 2021, connecting and completing the two primary sections of the B2B, the Huron River Greenway and the Huron Waterloo Loop (The Loop). The Loop will travel between Dexter, Chelsea, and Stockbridge, where it will join the existing Lakelands Trail. The Huron River Greenway will be the crown jewel of the B2B, with its stunning natural beauty and seven bridges spanning the Huron River between Dexter and Ann Arbor.

When connected to the Iron Belle Trail, the B2B will form part of the statewide 2,000 mile network of trails. These multi-use pathways for non-motorized activities will be a resource to be enjoyed now and for generations to come.

The Karen’s Trail Campaign

Karen McKeachie, a pioneer in women’s sports, world-class triathlete, community leader and a beloved friend of many, was killed in August 2016 while biking on Dexter-Chelsea Road. It is the wish of Karen’s husband, family and friends to honor Karen’s life and legacy by building the Border-to-Border (B2B) Trail and providing safe, non-motorized pathways for all.

The Karen’s Trail Campaign is a public, grassroots effort to raise $1 million in 2017 to help fund the construction of the Border-to-Border Trail and commemorate Karen. This campaign has been jump started by the generous $1 million gift from Karen’s parents, Bill and Ginny McKeachie, and a $100,000 gift from Lew Kidder, Karen’s husband. The Karen’s Trail effort is a 1-year, subset of the overall multi-year HWPI development plan to raise the $15 million needed to complete B2B by the end of 2021.